Coventry Safeguarding Children Board

1. Coventry Safeguarding Children Board Safeguarding Disabled Children Conference February 27th 2012

2. Aims for today • Learning from our case review about how to respond appropriately to abuse or neglect • Recognising risk factors, abuse and abusive situations for disabled children • Recognising that disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse and the reasons for this and consider how to help to protect children and young people with disabilities more effectively

3. Aims for today • Understanding the importance of communicating appropriately with children and hearing what they say • Understand the importance of sharing information and agencies working together Working with resistant and uncooperative families • Being aware of the vulnerability of disabled children in the transition process and ensure that all relevant information is shared.

4. Disabled Children & Safeguarding • There are an estimated 0.7 million disabled children in the UK. This constitutes about 5% of the total child population. • Studies into the prevalence of maltreatment among children with disabilities in the US have found that these children are over three times more likely to experience abuse and neglect than non-disabled children. Smaller scale UK based studies have indicated similar levels of maltreatment (Kennedy (1989); Westcott (1993) cited in National Working Group on Child Protection and Disability (2003)). • Disabled children or children with learning disabilities are 20% more likely 'than average' to run away.

5. The Challenge for Practice • For a variety of reasons, children with disabilities face an increased risk of abuse and neglect. Communication difficulties as well as isolation and their dependency on their carer can affect a disabled child’s ability to recognise and understand that they are being abused as well as their ability to access help and support. • Support for disabled children is often focussed on meeting the needs relating to the child’s disability rather than looking at the child’s wider needs including safeguarding. Sometimes indicators of abuse are mistakenly attributed to the child’s disability.

6. Coventry Safeguarding Children Board Safeguarding Disabled Children Conference February 27th 2012

7. Plenary Summary • Purpose of today has been to raise awareness of the increased risk for disabled children of being abused or neglected • LSCB’s case review in 2010 identified need to raise the profile of safeguarding issues • Much progress has been made and the CYPP is continuing to develop its ambition to have an integrated pathway for addressing the needs of disabled children

8. Next Steps • Thank you for your positive involvement in today’s event • The LSCB will continue to prioritise safeguarding disabled children • The views and experiences of children must be central to all work undertaken. Children must be communicated with directly and their experiences, wishes and feelings placed at the heart of all assessments and interventions.